Sealed mixture-containing connector



Aug. 30,1960

1. F.r MATTI-wsse ET AL: SEALED MIXTURE-CONT INING CONNECTOR med oct. 17,. 195e United States Patent G SEALED MIXTURE-CONTAINING CONNECTOR Irving F. Matthysse, Stamford, and Fred Dilendik, South Norwalk, Conn., assignors to Burndy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 616,558

1 Claim. (Cl. 174-94) Our invention relates to a connector filled with a viscous material containing particles.

The material comprises a mixture used for establishing a sealed electrical Contact, or for providing mechanica-l interlock between two compressed members to increase resistance to pull-out. The viscous material acts as a sealant and as a vehicle for supporting the particles in distributed form.

In the former category are connectors made of aluminum. In such instance, electrically conductive particles may be used, capable of piercing the non-conduc tive aluminum oxide film to form the necessary electrical contact between the conductor and the connector. The Viscous substance seals the contact thus established and prevents further oxidation.

Before the present invention, the contact mixture was applied in the field to the conductor grooves of the connector. This procedure was greatly disliked by the linemen due to the difiiculty of applying and retaining viscous material. Consequently, the contact mixture was sometimes omitted, to the detriment of the electrical characteristics of the connection.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which the viscous contact mixture is factory installed. Thus the step of handling viscous material as a separate item in the procedure is avoided.

A further object is to form the viscous material as an attached part of the connector, making it absolutely necessary to use the contact mixture in making a connection thereto.

Other objects are to provide such a combination in which the mixture is prevented'from loss prior to use; which is easy to ship; and which may be readily opened for installation and use.

These and other objects of the invention are accomplished `and new results obtained as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a crimp type electrical connector illustrating the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a clamp connector incorporating the invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the same taken in the plane 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing there is illustrated a. run and tap connector comprising a C-shaped groove 12 at one end forming a run element for the lrun conductor, and a socket portion 14 at another end of the connector for the tap conductor.

The connector thus described is described in greater detail in pending application Serial No. 469,522 which matured into Patent No. 2,895,002, granted to Dupre and Matthysse on July 14, 1959. The conductor receiving portions 12 and 14 are individually filled with a mixture 16 of a viscous non-drying product, such as petrolatum, and metal particles. Such a product is Penetrox, made by the Burndy Engineering Company, Inc. of Norwalk, Connecticut. Penetrox is described in greater detail in the Bonwitt Patent No. 2,423,290.

The Penetrox filled mixture is thereafter sealed to the connector by dipping the conductor receiving portions filled with Penetrox individually into a molten celluloseacetate-butyrate plastic compound and quickly withdrawing the connector therefrom. The molten plastic forms a thin film 1S about the connector, which quickly cools and solidies into a semi-malleable condition. Such a product is Stripseal, sold by the Burndy Engineering Company, Inc.

The contact mixture is thus completely sealed into the run and tap conductor receiving portions until the connector is ready for use.

When the lineman is ready to use the connector, he peels off the Stripseal and lays the run cable into the Penetrox filled run connector groove 20 and the tap cable into the Penetrox filled tap socket 22. There is thus automatically assured a crimped joint having the desired electrical and/or mechanical characteristics upon crimping of the connector to the cables.

The invention may include a rip tape, such as 24, which encircles a clamp type connector 26 before the plastic film 2S is formed, as is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The free ends of the tape 24a extend from the solidified plastic. Pulling the rip tape will peripherally open the plastic film and facilitate its removal from the connector body for insertion of the cables directly into the exposed contact mixture.

The connector here illustrated is of the parallel conductor clamp type, comprising a pair of clamping members 30 and 32 having semi-cylindrical grooves 38-40 and 34-36 for receiving the cables to be connected. A bolt 42 extends through apertures 44 and 46 in the clamping members 30 and 32, and is secured by the nut 48 mounted over the washer 50. The grooves 3840 and 34-36 are filled with Penetrox 52, and the rip tape 24 placed in position about the connector. The connector is thereafter dipped into the molten Stripseal compound to the desired level on the connector, and withdrawn. When the lni is dry, the connector is ready for use.

A cellulose-acetatebutyrate which is Water clear, is the thermoplastic No. 73-X-176 made and sold by the Stanley Company of East Berlin, Connecticut. The plastic is melted, and a temperature of between 250 C. 'and 350 C. maintained during the dipping process. It will congeal in from l0 to 15 seconds after removal of the conductor receiving portion therefrom to form the required film. It has a sufiiciently high surface tension so that it will not fill crevices and holes, and it will not melt the Penetrox during the brief dipping period.

In place of the cellulose-acetate-butyrate, an ethyl cellulose compound having similar characteristics may be used.

The present invention eliminates the need for a mold by dipping the conductor receiving portions directly into the plastic. The viscosity of the Penetrox is sufiicient to cause it to stay in place during the dipping process. The plastic has sufficient lack of adhesion for the metal by reason of the viscosity and high surface tension of the plastic, to permit easy peeling of the film therefrom. The rip tape may be of woven fiber glass bers having sufficient strength to tear the plastic film. Such a product is made by the Minnesota Mining Mfg. Co., No. S98 Glass Filament Tape.

If it is desired to merely increase the resistance to pull-out, any metallic or non-metallic particle may be used which is sufficiently hard to penetrate the surface of the conductor `and connector Walls.

We have thus described our invention, but We desire it understood that it is not conlined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other Ways Without departing from the spirit of our invention, and, therefore, We claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claim, Vand by means of which objects of our invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to` attain these objects and accomplish these results.

We claim:

Aconnector comprising a longitudinally extending body having a laterally positioned longitudinally extending conductor receiving opening and end openings joining the lateral opening through which the conductor projects, said connector containing in said openings a mixture of viscous material for making the connection, and a single closure for said openings consisting of a readily removable thin film adhering to said connector simultaneously enclosing the lateral and both end openings and containing the viscous material therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Krannichfeldt July 4, Wysocki .lune 9, Phillips et al Feb. 5, Bonwitt July l, Pineles May 11, .Tenet Oct. 10, Becker et a1 Apr. 28, Dupre et al. July 14,

FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Nov. 16,

OTHER REFERENCES Publication:

Boston Edison Installs First 15-KV Aluminum Underground Cable (Avila), published in Electrical World, July 14, 1952 (pages 133-136 relied 

